On August 22 the glare of the national media was fixed on Liverpool for the worst reasons imaginable.
The murder of nine-year-old Olivia Pratt-Korbel was the sickening nadir of six days of gun violence in the city which had already claimed the lives of 22-year-old mechanic Sam Rimmer and 28-year-old civil servant Ashley Dale.
Mr Rimmer was shot dead in Lavrock Bank, Dingle, on Tuesday, August 16, after he and his associates had chased away two men on an electric bike. The riders had regrouped with another two men on a second bike, returned to the scene and unleased a volley of shots.
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Miss Dale was murdered when a gunman forced open her front door on Sunday, August 21, and fired multiple shots "indiscriminately" before escaping the scene. Miss Dale was spotted collapsed in the back yard of her property in Leinster Road, Old Swan, by neighbours who then raised the alarm.
The following day with the city still reeling over those incidents, and on the 15th anniversary of the death of 11-year-old Rhys Jones, the unthinkable happened when a gunman chased 35-year-old Joseph Nee along Kingsheath Avenue, Dovecot, shooting as he ran.
Nee saw 46-year-old Cheryl Korbel open her front door to see what was happening and took the chance to barge in to escape, tragically leading the killer to her door. The gunman, in close pursuit, also forced his way inside and fired, hitting Ms Korbel in the arm and her daughter, Olivia, in the chest.
Merseyside Police are now juggling three major murder investigations, and have operated under intense scrutiny. This is the status of each investigation.
Sam Rimmer
The first major breakthrough of the three parallel enquiries came in Mr Rimmer's case on the morning August 24, when the force's Targeted Team carried out a series of raids across the city. One of those raids, in the Toxteth area, saw a 20-year-old man arrested on suspicion of murder.
Later that day two others, a 21-year-old man and a 17-year-old youth, were also arrested on suspicion of Mr Rimmer's murder. On August 27, a fourth man, aged 23, was taken into custody on suspicion of murder.
Since then all four men have been bailed pending further enquiries. Detective Inspector John Holden said: “Although we have made several arrests across Liverpool our enquiries remain ongoing. I would ask anyone who lives in the area of Lavrock Bank, or were passing through at about 11.40pm on Tuesday 16 August, to please contact police. You may have seen something that could be vital for us and I would urge you to get in touch."
Ashley Dale
Murder detectives also appear to be making progress in the investigation into Miss Dale's brutal murder. The first arrests came on the evening of August 24, when officers arrested a man, aged 25, on suspicion of her murder and a 21-year-old woman on suspicion of assisting an offender.
Both have since been bailed pending further enquiries. However a third man, aged 27 and from Dovecot, was also arrested on suspicion of her murder and possessing a firearm on August 31. On Friday a 48-year-old woman from St Helens was arrested on suspicion of assisting an offender. Both have been bailed.
At the opening of an inquest into her death, senior coroner Andre Rebello revealed that neighbours had heard a car "screeching away" from the scene after the sound of gunshots.
A Merseyside Police spokesman urged anyone with any information to share it directly with the force's investigation team through its online portal: Public Portal (Public Portal (mipp.police.uk).
Olivia Pratt-Korbel
Merseyside Police released aerial footage of a raid on flats in Huyton, carried out on Thursday August 25, showing the arrest of a 36-year-old man on suspicion of Olivia's murder and two counts of attempted murder.
A 32-year-old man was also arrested on suspicion of murder the following day during an armed operation on Lunsford Road, Dovecot. Both were later bailed, although the older man was also recalled to prison for breaching his licence conditions.
At a press conference on Thursday ,September 1, Merseyside Police made it clear there are still major challenges in the investigation, while releasing CCTV footage of the gunman and of a witness detectives wish to speak to.
Detective Chief Superintendent Mark Kameen, head of investigations at Merseyside Police, also revealed analysis of bullet casings at the scene had determined that the killer fired two different guns, both of which he carried away with him.
More progress was announced yesterday (Sunday September 4), with three arrests over the course of the day. In the early hours of the morning, officers picked up two suspects in the Runcorn area. One man, aged 34 and from Liverpool, was arrested on suspicion of Olivia's murder and attempted murder, while a 41-year-old man from Knowsley was detained on suspicion of assisting an offender.
Then, in the afternoon, a third man, aged 29, was arrested in Liverpool for assisting an offender.
Detective Chief Superintendent and Head of Investigations, Mark Kameen, said: “I continue to urge anyone who has information that can help our investigation into Olivia’s tragic murder to please come forward so we can bring those responsible to justice.
“A number of people have been arrested in respect of this investigation. However, we still need the public’s help in ensuring that we can a build a strong evidential picture so justice is served for Olivia and her family.
“With this, I appeal for those who may have information, no matter how small, that could continue to help our inquiries to contact us directly or anonymously and we will do the rest.
"The investigation into Olivia's tragic murder is ongoing and we still need to build up a strong evidential picture so that we can bring those responsible to justice. Anyone with information is asked to DM @MerPolCC or contact @CrimestoppersUK on 0800 555 111.
If you have any CCTV/dashcam/smart doorbell footage that could help our inquiries they can be downloaded on the dedicated public portal for Olivia's murder, which will go straight through to the investigation team. Footage can be submitted here Public Portal (mipp.police.uk)."
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